… [Chris] Sale will have an MRI on his elbow Thursday afternoon when he returns to Chicago.

After the results are read from a move that is considered purely precautionary at this point, a decision will be made as to where Sale fits on the pitching staff. Sale still was in the bullpen for Wednesday, but probably not available for the series finale against the Indians, and manager Robin Ventura indicated the bullpen is where he presently envisions Sale staying put.

“That’s something we’ll go over when we get back home,” Ventura said. “This all happened pretty fast. Getting everybody in the room and expressing it face to face is probably the best thing to do. That’s when you get the most information and make the right decision.

“We’ll see when we get everybody in the room. Personally, I’m probably not making that decision. [Sale’s return to the rotation] could happen. I’m not saying it can’t but I would be surprised if it did.”

… During this down time, Sale came to Cooper and told him that his tender elbow felt great. So, Cooper wanted to revisit starting.

“Nothing is out of the possibility,” Cooper said. “He missed a start, we gave him time and we quieted down the elbow that was barking a little bit. We backed off and took care of that situation. Now he’s back to pitching.”

“It’s not for me to make the call on,” said an upbeat Sale, when asked about the relieving/starting conundrum. “Those guys obviously, they run the team and they know what they’re doing with the team and if they have a decision, it’s not like I can say, ‘No.’ I’ve obviously talked with them and it’s one of those things that you go with what’s said and grind it out another day.”

… “Everything is swirling around him having pictures taken tomorrow,” Ventura said. “He’s not hurt. It’s more monitoring what’s going on and seeing where it’s at. It’s kind of precautionary stuff that happens all the time.”

“Chris Sale is going to be pitching in prime-time spots, whether it’s closing, eighth-inning big moments or if we decided, you know what, he’s good enough right now and we are going to send him back out starting,” Cooper said. “I don’t think anything is out of the question, but no matter what he’s doing, we are going to be watching him and taking care of him.”